The Association of American Railroads (AAR) in reporting freight rail traffic for the week ending Oct. 25, 2025 (Week 43), noted that total U.S. weekly rail traffic was 499,688 carloads and intermodal units, down 3.8% from the prior-year period. Total carloads for the week came in at 226,748, down 0.9% from the same week in 2024, while intermodal volume was 272,940 containers and trailers, down 6.1% from last year.
Five of the 10 carload commodity groups posted an increase compared with the same week in 2024. They included metallic ores and metals, up 1,470 carloads, to 19,559; nonmetallic minerals, up 837 carloads, to 32,940; and miscellaneous carloads, up 584 carloads, to 9,056. Commodity groups that posted decreases compared with the same week in 2024 included motor vehicles and parts, down 1,895 carloads, to 14,556; coal, down 1,470 carloads, to 58,652; and grain, down 1,125 carloads, to 23,031.
For the first 43 weeks of this year, U.S. railroads reported cumulative volume of 9,552,801 carloads, rising 1.9% from the same point in 2024; and 11,672,717 intermodal units, increasing 3.0% from 2024. Total combined U.S. traffic for the first 43 weeks of 2025 was 21,225,518 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.5% from last year.
North American rail volume for the week ending Oct. 25, 2025, on nine reporting U.S., Canadian, and Mexican railroads totaled 331,250 carloads, down 1.7% compared with the same week last year, and 359,291 intermodal units, a 3.8% drop-off from last year. Total combined weekly rail traffic in North America came in at 690,541 carloads and intermodal units, down 2.8%. North American rail volume for the first 43 weeks of this year was 29,223,874 carloads and intermodal units, up 2.1% compared with 2024.
Canadian railroads reported 92,109 carloads for the week ending Oct. 25, 2025, down 5.3%, and 71,508 intermodal units, down 0.2% compared with the same week last year. For the first 43 weeks of 2025, they reported cumulative rail traffic volume of 6,966,014 carloads, containers, and trailers, a 1.8% increase.
For the week ending Oct. 25, 2025, Mexican railroads reported 12,393 carloads, up 14.7% compared with the same week in 2024, and 14,843 intermodal units, up 33.0%. Their cumulative volume for the first 43 weeks of this year was 1,032,342 carloads and intermodal containers and trailers, down 3.8% from the year-ago period.
